Walking with Shepherds Walks

Walk in the dark

Guided walk date - 31/10/09

We were lucky with the weather, which always helps.  After a lovely autumn day, it was really warm and pleasant in the sun, the forecast for the evening and night was a deteriorating one and it was a matter of how quickly the depression and associated frontal system was approaching. 

We met at Ingram Bridge car park just before sunset and set off.  The aim was not to use any artificial light for the first hour or so to give our night vision time to adjust.  It worked really well.  As it was only two days before the new moon it was nearly full (94%) and the initially clear skies assisted out progress, by the time it was fully dark we could all see our shadows cast by the moonshine (not alcohol).  
 
We left the track and spread out to locate the remains of an excavated cairn and learnt about the importance of silhouettes in identifying features at night.  On to the hillfort of Wether Hill, another site identified by its silhouette but we also “felt” is lumps and bumps as we crossed the outer and inner walls.  On ards and upwards to the top of Cochrane Pike, our highest point at 335m/1000ft,  to orientate ourselves by the navigation lights on the mast on top of Sandyford Moor (to the NE) and the Radar Station at RAF Brizlee Wood near Alnwick (to the E).

Tonight provided another “first” for me.  I always encourage participants to have a look at our route on the free version of Google Earth when they return home.  Two people, who will remain nameless, had this application on their mobile phones and we stood on top of Cochrane Pike looking at aerial views of it and Whether Hill.  We lost the signal at Lumsden Hill which was a relief as how would I explain an injury to a client who was following his progress on his phone but fell over and injured himself in the process?

The cloud over the Cheviots to the west was beginning to build but we all got a good view of The Plough constellation and followed the “pointers” to locate Polaris, the Pole Star and were able to relate it to the position of the mast and radar station using handspans – it worked!  There was a bit of rain in the wind as we descended towards Lumsden Hill and it was a bit chilly but then it happened.  Standing with our backs to the moon we saw a very pale moonbow to the west which strengthened as we watched it so that we could discern very pale colours at one end.  The unexpected and spontaneous things are always the best and none of the clients had ever seen a moonbow before.   The Collie that accompanied us might have done but wasn’t saying.  A refreshment stop was declared to celebrate but not too long as people cooled-off quickly.  This was another lesson learned about having the right kit with you “just in case.” 

We set-off for Middle Dean to discover how difficult it can be to judge distance and slope angles even using artificial light.  There was more cloud now but the higher cloud deck of wispy cirrus really showed-off the pale pastel shades caused by iridescence when they passed across the moon’s illuminated disc.  What a contrast to the pitch blackness of the steep-sided Middle Dean valley, the pace needed to be a lot slower here.  By now everyone was much more adjusted and at ease in the darkness and quite surprised by how much they could actually see, they were adept at spotting and circumventing “the wet and boggy bits.”  So far we’d been using simple navigational techniques but now we struck off across the moorland towards Brough Law hillfort nearly two kilometres away.  We’d spent the last hour out of sight of any habitation but as we walked north farmsteads to the east and an isolated one to the west became visible.  We inspected the 360° “view” from Brough Law before descending to the valley road for the short walk back to the cars. 

A memorable night out in good company, lots of laughs along the way and hopefully we all learnt something new - and it good fun.           

Guide - Richard Holmes 

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Biddlestone Round - YouTube Film

Biddlestone Round

Guided walk date - 25/10/09

After several days of soft shoe shuffling Sundance Kids magic appears to have worn out.  7am dull, windy, spots of rain on the window and the top of Simonside lost in cloud, not what we had been hoping for.  9.15am although still windy it was mild and the drizzle had sort of stopped.   

By the time we arrived at Biddlestone it had brightened up somewhat.  After meeting several of the group at the entrance to the drive to the chapel a quick trip in to Biddlestone rounded up the last of the stragglers. 

After a group photo outside the chapel we were off.  We managed at least 100 meters before Mike started wittering about rocks.  Fortunately he quickly shut up and we continued the climb up from the valley on to the plateau that marks the edge of the Cheviots.  By now we had some good views over the surrounding area even though at times the low cloud obscured the far distance.  They say every cloud has a silver lining well the strong wind was ours as Mike could not compete even when he tried to witter by shouting. 

From Loundon Hill we walked down to Puncherton Farm where we swung eastwards, with the wind now on our backs and followed a path (at least that’s what Mike claimed).  In fact it was grassy, soggy, trackless waste with the occasional bog  thrown in for good measure. 

By now it was well past lunch time (more by good luck than anything else) Mike found a sheltered sunny sheep stell for lunch.  After lunch and a plodge through a stream Mike managed to find a gate that was definitely on the footpath we were following to Singmoor Cottage.  By now we were walking back into the wind which had fortunately dropped from a gale to a strong breeze. 

At Singmoor we followed the farm track down past Harden Quarry and in to Biddlestone from here we walked back up the drive towards the Chapel past the Biddlestones (thought to be the base of an Anglo Saxon Cross). 

On arriving at the chapel Mike talked about Biddlestone Hall and then gave a brief tour of the exterior of the Chapel showing the stone work of the original pele tower before we went up a flight of stairs to reach the chapels interior.  Having spent some time in the chapel and with the day light fading we left for home.

You can view more pictures taken on this walk by clicking here.

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Safety in the Hills Course

Course date - 11/10/09

It was a glorious start to the day, a beautiful October morning, crisp and bright as we gathered in the Ingram bridge car park, everyone was in good spirits and after the “how are you and how have you been” we headed for the National Park information centre to find out the latest weather forecasts and a kit checks, route cards and an informal chat about safety we were ready for the off, everyone was given a free WalkSOS distress banner to keep supplied by www.walksos.co.uk, this is a highly visible sheet which can be deployed to attract attention if you encounter problems on the hill, it comes with advice on how to raise the emergency services should you need to.

Waterproof maps were given out along with a permanent marker to note points along the way, the group were a little sceptical when told of how to remove permanent marker from laminated maps, but agreed to try toothpaste on their return home. The forecast said that the wind would come  from the North West and would gust up to 30 MPH and as we set off and walked into the wind on our first leg towards Reavelyhill Cottage all agreed that the forecast was correct, the Quick tem minute break turned into half an hour as we talked about what to do to assist one of our rucksacks which had become a “casualty” the good news is that it survived and was well cared for by the group, we had all cooled down considerably during our short stay and were keen to get moving again.

The next leg of our trip was off the beaten track and took advantage of the extensive areas of Open Access which allows us the privilege of getting off the waymarked paths, the group was split into two, one group put coordinates into a GPS device to find a Deserted Medieval Village (DMV) the GPS took the group in a straight line to the target crossing burns and an extensive area of wet ground, the other group planned a route the traditional way which was a longer distance, but arrived first, all agreed that the GPS was a great way to help you to navigate, but a combination traditional  methods of navigation and GPS was best, after the DMV the group was asked to find an “escape route” off the hill and find the nearest road, this was very successful and the Valley road was safely found.  A short session on river crossing was followed by the group leading legs on a difficult section of a route onto Brough Law, on getting to the top, the views were grand in all directions, and the day had stayed dry with only the slightest hint of a shower earlier. A short walk followed along the Valley road back to the car park.  A grand day.

• To find out more about the guided walks and training courses in Northumberland please click here.

Chillingham Ancient Park

Guided walk date - 10/10/09

With everyone assembled in front of St Peter’s Church, it was fantastic to see a mixture of old and new faces to Shepherds Walks.  There has been a church on this site at Chillingham since the 12th century and St Peter’s still has a beautiful  Norman archway to its entrance and inside houses the amazing  15th century ornate alabaster tombs of Sir Ralph Grey and his wife Elizabeth.  In the Middle Ages, Chillingham was the property of the Hentercombe family and it passed to the Greys in 1652 where it remained until the 9th Earl of Tankerville died in 1980.  The family home of the Greys was Chillingham Castle, a 12th Century medieval fortress which is privately owned by Sir Humphry Wakefield who acquired it in 1982.

With the kind permission of the Administrator and staff of Chillingham Castle, we were allowed to start our walk by entering the grounds of the castle and skirting the deep ravine of Chillingham burn.  After passing my ‘hugging’ tree, a massive wellingtonia, the lake and negotiating a couple of shall we say rickety gates, we entered Chillingham Park, home of the unique herd of Chillingham Wild Cattle. We were extremely fortunate to have Richard Marsh, Warden of the wild cattle, accompanying the group on this walk.  His knowledge and enthusiasm for these enigmatic creatures is truly infectious and his reputation precedes him. We were lucky to find a number of the cattle nearby who were closely grouped which enabled us to get a clear view of them while Richard imparted his knowledge.  The Chillingham Wild Cattle have occupied the 360 acres of parkland for over 800 years, pure bred and inbred with no genetic weaknesses that defies all scientific understanding. The herd was currently standing at 90 beasts with calves being born throughout the year with no particular set pattern. The herd is ruled by the King Bull, a beautiful and powerful beast who fears nothing.

We continued on past the Deer Hemel, a building constructed for feeding wild deer during winter, and followed the forest track and up through no-man’s land to join a wide track where we re-grouped before starting the walk in earnest. A short, sharp gradient tested the cardiovascular fitness levels of the group but the emergence of picnic tables at the top with fine views over towards Ross Castle and Hepburn Crags, soon took people’s mind off the pain.  Continuing along through Chillingham Woods and up a forest track we arrived at our usual picnic stop where we rested our limbs and enjoyed a butty or two.

Continuing along the ridge that afforded spectacular inland views towards The Cheviot, Hedgehope, Dunmoor, Cold Law, Broadhope and Humbleton Hill, to name but a few, and over to the coast where Holy Island and the golden sands of the Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty could clearly be seen. We then headed downhill for a change catching sight of a Sparrowhawk, and a number of fallow deer grazing in the distance.  Buzzards and Jays could clearly be heard overhead adding an audio dimension to this visual extravaganza.  This truly is a magnificent time of year with the leaves of the trees turning beautiful bright colours and the smell of pine being particularly evocative of the fast approaching Christmas. 

Although this was the third walk that we had undertaken this year, it never ceases to amaze me how the changing seasons have such an incredible impact on the surroundings making it an extremely special place to visit at any time.  Of course excellent company always helps and we have never been disappointed.  Watch out for the next Chillingham walk on the 8 May 2010.

You can view more pictures taken on this walk by clicking here.

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Hedgehope

uided walk date - 27/08/09

The Sundance kid has done it again, another dry day.  We all met up at Hartside in the Breamish valley having driven past various road works being carried out due to the floods in July.  As Mike was messing around with his GPS he set the rest of us off down the road to Greenside. 

We left the road with Mike now at the front and headed off towards the site of a medieval village.  Although the going was flat-ish we were fairly sure that Mike was not following a footpath as he led us over some fairly rough grazing land.  From the remains of the medieval village, at least that’s what was claimed, we set off on the first steep climb of the day towards Cunyan Crags.

The ascent towards Dunmoor Hill was somewhat gentler but still hard work (as by now Mike had drifted to the back of the group).  As we reached the top of Dunmoor the wind had increased in speed and it had started to cloud over. 

Navigation was easy as long as you kept the fence on your right (if you know you’re left from your right Mike!).  After a long flat walk along Dunmoor we now started to descend to the head of Dunmoor Burn. 

By now the wind was making stopping really cold so Mike lead us into Threestone Wood for shelter and a spot of lunch.  From here we followed the edge of the forest (fence still on the right) and found the only boggy section of the whole walk.  From here it was all uphill until we reached the top of Hedgehope all 240m of ascent. 

At the summit the wind was really ferocious making talking very difficult (this did not stop Mike from whittering on and on). Although Cheviot was lost in cloud the surrounding hills were still clear, we could see the whole of the North Sea Trail, Alcan Power station, The Farne Islands, Holy Island, most of the Western Cheviots and Simonside. 

We followed the fence line back down until we reached a second fence that ran off in the direction of Great Standrop.  As we descended down to Great Standrop the wind lessened in intensity and by the time we reached Great Standrop it felt quite balmy.  From Great Standrop we headed sort of easterly to the Het Burn and then down to the Linhope Burn and on to Linhope Spout.  At the Spout Mike stopped for a cup of tea at the top while the rest of us went down to the plunge pool to be greeted by someone having a swim!! 

From here the going was fairly easy until the walk back uphill from Linhope to the cars at Hartside.  The old soft shoe shuffle had worked again although very windy and somewhat overcast it had not rained all day.

You can view more pictures taken on this walk by clicking here.

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Hedgehope - YouTube Film

Walltown and Thirlwall Castle

Guided Walk Date – 20/09/09

What a great day for a walk on ‘The Wall’ – bright and breezy, with the clear air giving stunning views.  We all set off in good spirits, though with a difference of opinion about the correct clothing for the day!  Those with shorts were a little challenged by the breeze at times, but the coats were soon abandoned as the day warmed up.

The first part of the walk is relatively easy going following a minor road past Walltown Farm, now on its own but several hundred years ago part of a village.  Even the sheep dogs had succumbed to the concept of a lazy Sunday morning and stayed dozing in the sun rather than snapping at our heels.  This pattern of animal sloth was followed for the rest of the day, with chilled out horses at Aesica and a field of rams which could have been dead, apart from the occasional blink of an eye.

The first hill of the day, up the track to the Roman fort of Aesica, suddenly turned the previously chatty group into a silent one, as they concentrated on the incline in front of them.  However everyone had plenty of time to catch their breath whilst looking at the remains of the fort.

We were now up onto the line of Hadrian’s Wall and the views eastwards along the line of Whin sill crags really were ‘picture postcard’.  The North Pennines, to the south were equally well illuminated and we soon chose a spot for lunch where we could add in the vista to the North.  It may not have been the warmest of lunch spots, given the rather fresh nature of the breeze, but it certainly had the best panorama.

After lunch everyone soon regained any heat they had lost, as the series of ‘ups and downs’ along this stretch of the wall were tackled.  The senior member of our party had been kidding the leader that he didn’t like hills, but he strode up the slopes in an apparently effortless fashion.  The big dipper was soon conquered whilst we continued to gasp at the views, now out to the Solway and southern Scotland, and before long we were back at the car park for a quick comfort break before heading off to find Thirlwall Castle.

The castle, unusually, is in a dip rather than perched on top of a hill and underwent restoration work about 10 years ago to stop it crumbling away entirely.  However the artists drawings gave us a good impression of what it would have looked like in the 1300’s and we wondered what sort of life the inhabitants would have lead, constantly having to defend themselves from attack.

The only catch now, with the castle being in a dip, is was an uphill climb back to Walltown Quarry car park.  A fact that made the leader, temporarily, rather unpopular!  However it had been a great day and perfect weather for an autumn saunter along Hadrian’s Wall.

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Holy Island

Guided Walk Date - 13/09/09

The theme of today’s has to be “contrasts”.  Everyone drove through drizzle and heavy showers to get onto the island but we finished the afternoon in sunshine.  This differed from the cloudless blue sky of the previous day (inaugural Kielder Challenge Walk) but was a marked improvement on the mist and drizzle in which we walked the first part of the route along the south-west coast to St Cuthbert’s Island (Hobthrush).  This overlooked the mud and sandflats and the salt marshes of the pilgrim route from the mainland over Holy Island Sands, most of which was still under water.  The seals on the emerging sandbanks provided a focus to the east; the visibility wasn’t good enough to see much of the mainland.  Even if Mike had been with us his rain dance wouldn’t have worked.

The south coast contrasted between the high viewpoint from the old Coastguard Lookout on top of the Heugh (with excellent views into the Priory) to the old storm beach at sea lelvel by The Ouse now occupied by the iconic sheds made from upturned boats which provided shelter from the north-east wind.   The Heugh forms part of the Holy Island Dyke complex and is made of dolerite, a hard intrusive igneous rock.   The walk along the road towards the castle exposed us to the tourist honeypot terrors of a fast food outlet and the Castle Shuttle bus plus lots of people!   The ice-cream van wasn’t doing much trade.  Walking between the castle and the Gertrude Jekyll designed walled garden, we arrived at the shingle spit, on the south-east corner of the island, on which limekilns were built in the 1850’s for the trade with Dundee. 

Here we picked-up the former waggonway that led north along the east coast where we could easily pick out the raised beach that resulted from the glacial rebound, a result of the melting of the overlying ice towards the end of the Pleistocene glaciation.  By now we were beyond the of range of casual tourists and day-trippers and could appreciate the contrasting landscapes produced by hard and soft rocks, erosion and deposition etc as we approached the white panted navigation marker on Emmanuel Head at the north – east corner of the island.

Turning west we were immediately into a completely different environment of massive sand dunes that concealed two magnificent broad sandy bays.  We crossed Sandham Bay at beach level, the point of Emmanuel Head providing some protection from the wind.  The sense of  wildness, tranquillity and remoteness contrasted starkly with the activity on the south coast half an hour previously.   We climbed over the headland of Castlehead which separated Sandham Bay from its neighbour, Coves Haven.  A different landscape again, a former limestone quarry was revealed, now largely reclaimed by nature.  All of this in a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and Site of Special scientific Interest (SSSI).    The contrast between the hard and soft rocks, erosion and deposition, natural and human impacts was both easy to see and appreciate.  The broad sweep of Goswick Sands north-west towards the Berwick coast were now clear, the tide had fallen sufficiently to expose the sand and the cloud was beginning to break-up allowing shafts of sunlight to illuminate  landscape and seascape alike. 

We turned south to cross The Links, the sand dune belt that forms a broad strip across the whole of the northern part of Lindisfarne.  From the top of the highest dunes it was possible to observe the westward extension of the dune belt that forms The Snook and see Snook Tower itself.  The transect across the dune belt allowed us to appreciate the differences in microclimate between the exposed dune faces and the intervening slacks with their changing plant communities as we went further inland.  Before we emerged from the dunes we tried our best to rid ourselves of the exotic puri-puri burrs that attached themselves to our boots and clothing.  The walk back to the cars by way of the track (lonnen) that by-passed St Coombs Farm gave us a good overview of the largely pastoral farming on the island courtesy of the glacial boulder clay deposited towards the end of the last glacial period.

A good time was had by all.  The weather got better as the day progressed.  We did the “busy bits” first.  Everyone gelled together and there was lots of laughter and good company.  By the time this blog is published one of our number will be en-route to the Azores to walk the levadas in temperatures of 25° plus (no name to protect the innocent), even that will be in sharp contrast to today’s walk.       

You can view more pictures taken on this walk by clicking here.

• To find out more about the guided walks in Northumberland that are coming up please click here.

Kielder Challenge Walk 2009 - 26 miles

Date - 12/09/09

You can view more pictures taken on the day by clicking here.

I hope you can join us next year. Please click here for more information.